| In the pursuit of educational equality, many countries have applied the philosophy and practice of inclusive education since the1990s. As a result, there are more students with disabilities in general education classrooms, including general physical education (PE) classes. Therefore, the purposes of this study are (1) to examine the perceptions of teachers on inclusive PE and identity the factors influenced their perceptions, and (2) to examine teachers' beliefs and practices on the use of constructivist teaching methods on students with disabilities in general PE.;Adopting the social constructivism theory (Vygotsky, 1978, 1986), the first study in Chapter Three examined the perceptions of PE teachers concerning the inclusion of students with disabilities in general PE programs in Hong Kong secondary schools. Eight secondary PE teachers (F = 5, M = 3) were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Data gathered from the interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. Interview transcripts underwent content analysis and were presented as descriptive summaries. Two themes emerged: (1) favorable, but encountering barriers, and (2) enhancing one's professional knowledge and collective experience. Results indicated that the teachers acknowledged the benefits of inclusive PE, but they also expressed concern about the instructional and environment barriers to the inclusion of students with disabilities in general PE programs. The findings clearly demonstrate the need for more frequent and efficient communication, involvement, and collaboration among stakeholders involved (e.g., teachers and their peers, parents of students with disabilities, administrators) in inclusive PE. The findings also illustrate the important influences of initial training of Physical Education-Teacher Education program relevant to teaching students with disabilities, inclusive education in-service training specific to PE, and collaborations with teaching assistants in promoting the self-regulation of teachers and improving their competencies and confidence in teaching inclusive PE.;Ground in the notion of "community of practice" of situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), the second study understands the inclusion of students with disabilities in general PE as a process which not only focus on skill acquisition, but also pay more attention to increase participation of students with disabilities in the classroom activities of the general PE classroom communities. Based on the situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998) in conjunction with the components of the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991), the second study in Chapter Four examined the beliefs and practices of four secondary PE teachers (F = 1, M = 3) regarding promoting the participation of students with disabilities in general PE using a qualitative case study approach (Pattoon, 2002; Yin, 200p). The results revealed the following: (1) The teachers varied in their beliefs about the degree of difficulty in promoting the participation and engagement of students with disabilities in the PE lessons, although they had positive attitudes towards constructivist teaching inclusive PE. According to the teachers, this facilitation involved giving positive feedback, calling the first names of students with disabilities, physical interaction, additional demonstrations, and breaking down skills into various parts. The teachers also specified negative factors, such as large class size, lack of personnel resources, and lack of professional knowledge. (2) Teachers and students with disabilities were less engaged with each other mutually. Moreover, the teachers offered very few opportunities for mutual engagement of students with disabilities in general PE. Thus, social interactions of students with disabilities in general PE were not well established. Teachers in this study did not exert effort to make students with disabilities to imagine taking part in other PE communities in a broader context. In addition, teachers did not push the boundaries of the inclusive PE communities, and make students with disabilities really interact in other PE communities. The study highlights the importance of the situated learning theory on teachers' beliefs and practices on teaching students with disabilities. Teachers are expected to consider teaching practices to increase the participation of students with disabilities from the modes of learning architecture of the situated learning (i.e., engagement, imagination, and alignment).;In conclusion, by demonstrating the complex process of inclusive PE, this study argues that the experiences of students with disabilities in general PE need to be seen as a socially constructed and negotiated process through which the identities of PE students---with or without disabilities---and teachers are constantly created. The study exhorts teachers and educational institutions to rethink current notions concerning the inclusion of students with disabilities in general PE, and to work toward inclusive practices by recognizing the socially constructed nature of inclusive PE classroom interaction and participation and critically examining the roles and identities constructed by different participants in the inclusive PE classroom community. |
